Serving the mental health needs of the Barrington community since 1972!
MEET OUR THERAPISTS
Isabel Acevedo, MA LCPC
Isabel Acevedo, LCPC has returned to BYFS as a Bilingual Clinical Therapist. She has experience as a therapist in a wide variety of settings and has been working in the field since 2012. She likes to help her clients reach their full potential and likes to develop strong theraputic rapport with her clients to ensure that they feel safe and understood. She likes to help her clients challenge their unproductive beliefs and limiting behaviors by helping them discover their self-worth.
She has a wide range of experience in trauma and the effects of abuse. She has five years worth of group counseling experience and has also worked in an inpatient hospital setting for a few years. Isabel has worked with a large range of issues and is fluent in Spanish and bicultural. She is currently a University Professor, teaching psychology courses. Isabel looks forward to working with you and helping you be in a better place emotionally.
Richard Cornwall, LSW
Richard Cornwall, LSW is a knowledgeable and experienced mental health therapist who works to promote emotional wellness through encouragement and support. He has years of varied experience working with adults, adolescents and children. His experience allows him to advocate for individuals and families by providing them with resources to support their overall well-being. He has had much success using narrative, music and play therapy as effective means to working with his clients.
He has his BS in Social Work from University of Wisconsin Whitewater and his Masters in Social Work from George Williams College of Aurora University.
Richard's other love is spending time with his family, His greatest pride and joy are his two lovely daughters Abigail and Hazel. Richard will be sitting for his LCSW license this Fall.
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Tia Cobb, LPC
Tia is a licensed professional counselor whose passion is supporting her clients on their life journey. She focuses on highlighting her clients’ strengths while acknowledging and building upon challenging areas. She recognizes that therapy is a collaborative effort and exercises compassion in their journey together. Tia utilizes her strong background in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help clients achieve better coping strategies in life. Tia graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and holds a Masters of Education in Counseling degree from DePaul University. Tia has had a range of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults at different levels of care. Tia is a National Board Certified Counselor and will take the exam for her LCPC license in fall.
Monica Messina, LPC
Monica is a Licensed Professional Counselor who graduated with her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2017 and is a member of the American Counseling Association. She promises respect, empathy and unwavering support for all people who walk through the door. Although Monica uses an integrative approach to counseling, she relies heavily on Solution-Focused Therapy, helping clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems. Her favorite part of the therapeutic process is having them leave feeling more capable and fulfilled in their own lives.
Monica began her career counseling mothers overcoming addiction. Outside of Barrington Youth and Family Services, Monica currently facilitates groups with children and teens struggling with severe aggression and depression. She is always looking for the newest strategies to help facilitate positive change.
Monica enjoys learning, whether it's a new song on the piano or new theories on narcissistic abuse. She is currently training to become an ADHD Clinical Services provider.
Elisa Tessier, LCSW
Elisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience working with children and their parents. She enjoys developing a therapeutic relationship with parents to further develop their relationship with their children. In order to support the child, she strives to be a consistent partner with parents to explore effective communication styles that promotes positive behaviors from their children. She incorporates an empathetic and collaborative approach in therapy, walking alongside clients on their personal journey. Elisa works to build productive relationships with families, children, school districts, doctors, churches, and community agencies, focusing on providing the best environment for her clients to thrive. As a professional, passionate and caring advocate, Elisa facilitates and supports awareness and connection among stakeholders to develop successful strategies, meet mutual goals, and provide better outcomes. She strongly believes in working collaboratively, as partners, which allows learning from one another for the benefit of her clients.
Kaytlyn Harvey, UIC Intern
Kaytlyn is currently working towards her Master’s in Social Work degree from University of Illinois at Chicago and will be graduating in May 2024. She has experience working in child welfare, case management, individual therapy, and crisis intervention. Kaytlyn chose to pursue social work after many difficult experiences throughout her life, which have encouraged her to help others who have experienced similar struggles.
Kaytlyn takes a humanistic approach when working with clients to empower individuals and help them feel confident implementing positive changes into their day to day routine. She also prioritizes providing practical skills and tools that individuals can take home, practice, and implement into their daily lives.
When she has any free time, Kaytlyn really enjoys traveling, being outside, and spending time with her cat, Spade.
Tyra Smith, UIC Intern
Tyra is currently in the last year of her Social Work master’s program at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in addictions counseling from Colorado State University. Her experience includes working with individuals, from adolescents to adults, with general mental health concerns and substance use concerns.
Tyra likes to take a holistic approach to therapy as one intervention does not fit all. Her overall focus is to help individuals realize their strengths and potential to help them overcome the challenges they face. Tyra is am passionate about helping people feel connected and valued. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, reading a good book and going on hikes.
MEET OUR STAFF
Betsy Wintringer, Executive Director
As a parent and lifelong Barrington community member, I see incredible importance in the mission of BYFS. As a nonprofit professional, the opportunity to work alongside community leaders and board members to help shape the vision of this great organization and the impact it will have on our families and community is exciting. I am honored to be trusted with this role.
My professional experience includes nonprofit management and marketing and communications for multiple professional societies and volunteer-run organizations; corporate sales and marketing, and social work in group home settings.
I am a mom to two wonderful children, Ellie (17) and Harry (12), married to a fabulous man (Harry) and owner of two happy hounds.
Please feel free to reach out if I can be of assistance. I look forward to meeting many of you out in the community!
Anne Baumfeld, Director of Special Projects
Anne is BYFS' Director of Special projects where she delivers project management, strategic planning and implementation support for key organizational initiatives.
Along with a passion for service and community, Anne brings considerable experience and expertise to the role, having held several leadership and development roles at domestic and international non-profit organizations before joining BYFS in April 2018. She also served as Treasurer of BYFS' Auxiliary Board from 2016-2018.
Anne holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master's degree in Public Administration from New York University. She lives in Barrington with her husband, three children and two terriers.
Kiran Birdi, Office Manager
Kiran joined BYFS in November of 2018 and brings with her over a decade of customer service experience as well as several years of management experience working as a Practice Manager at a psychiatrist’s office here in Barrington.
Kiran oversees office operations and is committed to making our patients', and their families', experience at BYFS a positive one. She encourages a work environment that provides excellent customer service to clients, outside professionals as well as internal clinicians with her positive attitude and friendly demeanor.
Born and raised in England UK, Kiran graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a Bachelor’s degree in Law. She moved to the US in 1999 and resides in the Northwest Suburbs with her husband, daughter, and two sons.